MUSEUM – A look behind the scenes
February 4, 2026Cooperation as a curatorial practice
The Ludwig Gallery at Oberhausen Castle has enjoyed a long and fruitful collaboration with other museums. Last year, we were able to bring the exhibition commemorating Loriot's 100th birthday from the Caricatura Museum in Frankfurt to our sister museum in Saarlouis, where it has now moved to our sister museum. We officially opened it there together last Friday.
Dr. Christine Vogt, Till Kaposty-Bliss, Dr. Claudia Wiotte-Franz, Dr. Sarah Hülsewig and Martin Sonntag at the opening in Saarlouis © LUDWIGGALERIE Schloss Oberhausen
What does "taking over an exhibition" actually mean?
For the Caricatura exhibition in Frankfurt, Till Kaposty-Bliss, together with co-curator Dr. Thomas Kronenberg, made a selection from Loriot's vast estate—which was kept by the family on Lake Starnberg. This selection of works was guided by the spatial structure and planned tour of the Frankfurt museum. Loriot's yodeling diploma served as the title for the various rooms and sections. We were able to adopt this selection for the Ludwig Gallery.
New spaces, new order: The Oberhausen perspective
However, the exhibition halls here are completely different from those at the Caricatura. With our nearly 900 square meters of exhibition space, we are also (almost) always larger than the museums we cooperate with. Thus, the Oberhausen curator, Dr. Sarah Hülsewig, has reorganized the collection and divided it into chapters for our specific spaces. The result is a unique presentation.
Cultural-historical extension: Brandenburg an der Havel
Exhibition views (2025) from the LUDWIGGALERIE Schloss Oberhausen on Loriot's origins © LUDWIGGALERIE Schloss Oberhausen
In addition, we collaborated with the city museum in Brandenburg an der Havel. Vicco von Bülow's birthplace, located in the former GDR, also organized a tribute for his 100th birthday in 2023, which reconstructed an exhibition from 1985. This presentation, particularly interesting from a cultural-historical perspective, was shown in a dedicated room and meaningfully complemented the artistic perspectives, adding a lesser-known episode.
The Ludwig Gallery Saarlouis
Exhibition view Saarlouis © LUDWIGGALERIE Schloss Oberhausen
Dr. Claudia Wiotte-Franz has now curated the selected works for the galleries of the former Barracks VI in Saarlouis, thus adapting the exhibition once again to specific spatial conditions. The exhibition will be on display there from January 31 to June 7, 2026.
A common foundation – many individual exhibitions
Thus, each exhibition has its own unique character, having been newly curated in the respective venues, even though they all drew on the same basic collection.
A once-in-a-century gift for Frankfurt
The truly remarkable result of this new focus on Loriot's work is that his entire estate will be preserved as Studio Loriot to the Caricatura Museum in Frankfurt. Till Kaposty-Bliss has been appointed managing director; the museum community can now rejoice in a readily accessible art treasure, and the city on the Main River in a once-in-a-century gift.
We offer our warmest congratulations!
Dr. Christine Vogt
General